Transitions

From your very first look around the nursery, you and your child’s exciting transition into nursery life begins.

Transition is a period of change that you are going through and we understand that as well as the excitement this can be a difficult time all round. Try to talk to your child about starting nursery, attend any open days, parent drop in sessions or attend the sessions at the children’s centre so your child becomes familiar with the setting.

Our aim is to help you and your child through this as smoothly as possible. Each child and their family are individual and as such our timings and procedures are planned around what is best for all.

Once we are able to offer you a place we arrange a home visit at a mutually convenient time. This gives you the opportunity to meet with your child’s key person within comfortable and familiar surroundings for you and your child. It is also an opportunity to have an open discussion with yourself about any concerns or personal information away from the nursery. We will also complete paperwork that helps us get to know you and your child. During your home visit the settling in visits will be arranged. We offer a minimum of 3 free settling in visits before your child has their official start date each of these will increase in length.

Your child’s first official day at nursery can sometimes be difficult for you, please remember we are here for you too.

As your child grows up they will have transitions into other rooms. We arrange these and as with the initial settling in period. Your child will have visits to the new room to get to know their new key person and team. We also ask that you meet with your child’s new key person and update any information.

Towards the end of your child’s time with us we will carefully plan your child’s transition to school.

The order of events in preparing your child for their move to School

* We hold transition meetings for parents to help you understand the application process.

The school application packs come to us and we hand them out to yourselves, giving you support to complete them if needed.

* Once the school places are allocated we arrange for the teachers to visit the nursery to meet the children.

* Wherever possible a member of the team will join you at your child’s first transition visit to school.

* We start to discuss with your child about the move to school and plan appropriate activities to help with this.

* We hold a leavers event to celebrate their time with us.

* Transition records are prepared and shared with yourselves and your child’s new school.

Sometimes due to other circumstances such as moving house, you need to move your child from us before they start school. In this case we aim to liaise with your child’s new setting, they are also very welcome to visit us, where possible we will arrange to join you in a visit to the new setting. We will share transition records as above.